Subject: Your Site Selected for BONUS.COM

From: "Lucy Rector" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 15:42:50 -0800

Dear   Webmaster,

The editors of the BONUS.COM, The SuperSite for Kids, have reviewed the work:

Backgammon at 

http://www.demo.cs.brandeis.edu/bkg.html

on the World Wide Web and found that this is a quality web site that would
appeal to Internet viewers of all ages. 

The mission of the Bonus network is to provide access to a rich selection of
entertaining and educational web sites that children may enjoy. The values
and content of your work seem to correspond with our mission.

If you approve of your work being presented by Bonus as part of a fun,
one-stop location for kids and want to know more about us, please take a
look at the description of Bonus Network at the end of this letter.

Should you decide that you would like to join the 550 web authors who have
already agreed to be part of the Bonus network, please complete and send us
back the Notification of Permission that we have sent you in a separate e-mail.

Thank you very much. 

We are looking forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Lucy Rector
Managing Editor
BONUS.COM, The SuperSite for Kids

        ********************************
        DESCRIPTION OF THE BONUS NETWORK
        ********************************

How Bonus presents your work
****************************

There are numerous existing ways a visitor can get directions on the World
Wide Web. Bonus, however, is somewhat different from the many index services
that are found on the Internet today.

In order to help our audience find the best content quickly and easily, we
evaluate and hand-pick each work that we present in the Bonus index. In
addition to this index listing, our editors will introduce and entice users
to select each indexed work through a short and colorful reference page that
is hosted on the Bonus server. 

The reference page briefly describes and illustrates the work and provides
other vital information such as the subject matter, intended target age
range, type of activity and whether or not any special software is required
for viewing the work.  This, we believe, will increase the satisfaction of
Bonus members and visitors because the reality of what is received on their
screens will more closely reflect their expectations.

Visitors can view the work by simply clicking on the title of the work as it
is shown on the reference page. The Bonus server automatically requests the
content of the work from the site's web server, and presents the content to
the viewer.

It is important to note that when Bonus presents a work requested by a
visitor, it does not use lists of "banned words" to filter previously
evaluated content, nor does it alter or correct text or images. 

All vital elements of the selected work remain virtually unchanged.

Bonus wants only safe web sites
*******************************

Much like a well-edited magazine aimed at young audiences, Bonus intends to
present its visitors only with content previously scrutinized and approved
by its editorial staff.  

In the printed media editors have the opportunity to include or leave out
articles and thus create a unique image for their publication. They only
present that collection of work that serves their audience. 

On the World Wide Web, however, every published work is just a click away. 

The editors at the Bonus Network wish to achieve a focus and uniqueness that
reflects a printed publication. They do this by creating a virtual "contour
line" around the content they have selected.  This contour line is intended
to help families and children move easily from one good web site to another,
without the need to browse through many other sites that would not fit the
objectives of the Bonus network.

So, contouring has these important goals:

1)  Creating a rich, interesting and topically organized local area on the
World Wide Web with a high concentration of good, educational and
interesting places that are appropriate for youngsters;

2)  Establishing a boundary (contour) line around the selected works that
helps keeping viewers from accidentally drifting off to places that are not
presented by the Bonus index.

PLEASE NOTE, however, that Bonus and the its contouring process will NOT
limit any author's right to free speech or any visitor's freedom to get
access to works left out from the Bonus selection. Much like when a reader
puts down one magazine to open another, our visitors may go to any other
site on the World Wide Web, once they exit from the Bonus web-site. 

You DO NOT NEED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR CURRENT PRESENTATION in order
for your site to be indexed, described and recommended by Bonus.  Your site
should simply remain accessible on the World Wide Web.

When Bonus visitors request viewing of a web work, the Bonus server requests
and enables display of the selected work. While navigation within the
selected boundaries of the work remains smooth and uninhibited, Bonus will
make navigation links, pointing to areas outside the selected contours of
the work, inaccessible to its visitors. 

Again, the mission of Bonus is to provide a safe, entertaining area on the
Web for children and their families. We hope this description helps you
better understand our intentions. Thank you.
========